Why do I see the Java Update Needed messages: Your Java version is out of date or Your Java version is insecure?

This article applies to:

Java version(s): 7.0, 7u10+, 8.0

Java 7 Update 10 (7u10) and newer versions now include a feature that will notify the user when the version of Java being used is out of date or has known security vulnerabilities and an updated version that fixes those vulnerabilities is available for download.

When you encounter a page that includes a Java application and your version of Java is considered out of date, the Java Update Needed message will be shown. We recommend that you click Update to open the java.com download page to get the latest version of Java. If you chose to click Block the Java plug-in will be disabled in the browser and Java applications can not be run in the browser until Java is updated.

Options available in the Java Update Needed dialog

Java versions below Java 7 Update 25 (7u25) will show the message Your Java version is insecure, rather than Your Java version is out of date.

Update
Selecting this option will open the web browser to java.com to get the latest Java.

Block
If you select this option, the Java plug-in will be blocked in the browser until you update to the latest version of Java.

Later
By selecting this option, the Java plug-in will continue to load. The security settings will dictate if the application will be allowed to run.

Do not ask again
If this check box is selected, the Java Update Needed message will not be displayed again until the next release is available. Java updates are made available throughout the year. At a minimum, security updates are released 4 times a year. Non-security releases are made available additionally as necessary.

Message formatting varies based on operating systems.

Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows 8

Windows XP

The continual redirection to java.com was a known issue affecting Java versions 7u25 and older. This issue is fixed as of 7u40 release of Java. Install the latest Java version
To prevent the redirect to java.com, download Java version 7u40 or higher from http://java.com

Why do I see the 'Java version is out of date' dialog when the option to Check for updates Automatically is deselected in the Java Control Panel?

The option to Check for updates Automatically in the Java Control Panel only prevents update checks on a weekly and monthly basis. Deselecting this option will not prevent the dialog from being seen if the Java version installed is out of date.

For systems unable to reach the Oracle Servers, a secondary mechanism expires the JRE. After either condition is met (new release becoming available or expiration date reached), Java will provide additional warnings and reminders to users to update to the newer version. Users receiving expiration date messages are strongly encouraged to update Java to the latest release. For more information see JRE Expire Date. (docs.oracle.com)